The Minister for Transport Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah has met with Airlines that travel into the Ghanaian airspace to discuss issues on COVID-19 and how together both parties would agree on measures to put in place to check the importation and spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Minister speaking with representatives of the Airlines at the meeting noted, they all had to come together to fight the COVID-19 virus and its strands and reduce the number of importations into the country. He mentioned, it was necessary the Airport Company Limited together with the Airlines found the best ways of stopping the increased importation of the virus into the country.

Hon. Ofori Asiamah urging the Airlines present at the meeting, told them to come out with all issues they had at the Airport or with the current travel protocols so that together they would all find a middle ground for the achievement of the reduction in the importation the COVID-19 virus.

In addition, the Minister encouraged all Agencies working at the Airport to have well defined roles to avoid them locking horns and anyone taking advantage of that to manipulate the system. He implored them to work together as a team even though their roles would be clearly defined at the Airport, and that would help the fight against the COVID-19 virus to be won.

He stated that the verification systems at the Airport should be intensified as they had discussed earlier to prevent the virus also being brought into the Airport from within the country by staff, family or passengers travelling in or out of the country.

The Minister reiterated the fact that the travel protocols that the Airlines had to follow were to be adhered to fully because the country was going to apply all sanctions against Airlines that flouted the regulations on bringing in passengers who had not tested for COVID-19 before going onboard their Airlines.

Hon Kwaku Ofori Asiamah encouraged the Ghana Airport Company Limited to send out a circular to all stakeholders working within the Airport, to be vaccinated before they would be allowed into its precincts, to help reduce the possible transmission of the COVID-19 virus and any of its strands from all category of staff within the airport to other persons, including travellers.

Airlines present were grateful for the opportunity they have had to meet the Minister once again, and committed to doing their best to reduce the importation of the COVID-19 virus into the country.